IN THE early 18th century, a local entrepreneur built two Regency villas alongside the ruins of Hereford Castle. Little did this Hereford gentleman know that his magnificent home would benefit so many people for centuries to come. Today, this ancient building is home to the exquisite Castle House Hotel, Hereford city’s only boutique hotel. Castle House offers resplendent views of Hereford Cathedral and its beautiful garden has the old castle moat running through it. Castle House is family-owned and run by the Watkins family whose produce from their kitchen gardens and farm at Ballingham Hall are used in the wonderful cuisine found here. The fine dining restaurant is run by the very talented executive head chef Claire Nicholls who combines her many wonderful ideas for dishes with the fantastic local produce of Herefordshire’s own food and drink producers. Claire is also...

Taste The Marches speaks to small and large producers about some of the challenges selling their food and drink outside of Herefordshire. Despite Herefordshire being one of the most important food and drink counties in the UK, producers regularly have to explain that their products are not made in Hertfordshire. The relatively remote location of the county is often confused with Hertfordshire, just 24 miles from Central London. Food retailers, restaurants and bars in the capital are often confused when they realise that a visit to a Herefordshire farm or producer is in fact over 150 miles away. “Once a month I get people confused where Herefordshire is and want to pop up for the day to taste our ciders, yet we get hundreds from all over the world who know very well where Herefordshire is,” explains Tom Oliver...

If you’re searching high and low (and online) for the perfect Christmas present for a loved one – who just happens to be mad about food and drink – then look no further than these three festive foodie gifts! What makes these even more special is that they’re all local to Herefordshire and Shropshire, you can still pick them up during Christmas week and no one will ever be the wiser! Local retailers and food producers are pulling out all the stops this Christmas to bring you the best The Marches region has to offer. We’re especially proud to see that British Cassis by Jo Hilditch has made it into a Fortnum & Mason Christmas gift box and we’re super excited to see that the brilliant head chef at the Verzon, Callum McDonald, is now giving interactive masterclasses using local...

CHRISTMAS IS in the air along the English-Welsh borders and we’ve got the High Towns and low downs of some of the best festive food and drink fairs to visit around The Marches. From Abergavenny to Shropshire, Brecon to Ludlow, don’t miss the awesome artisans and independent producers of this amazing food region who’ll be selling their gastronomic delights for Christmas. Here at Taste The Marches we’ve been to some fairs already – we’ve picked up festive fennel and cinnamon salami, craft ciders, flavoured roast coffee, Christmas nougat, gorgeous liqueurs and chocolate gifts. And to keep our spirits up while we shopped we’ve had mouthwatering street food, mince pies and mulled wine. We must admit – we love a Great British Christmas food fair so here are 10 you might want to consider. So get your earmuffs and appetites to the ready and head out for some happy festive...

MISSED THE Herefordshire Means Business Expo but launching a new website for your food or drink business? Then here are 11 fabulous tips we picked up for you at the Google Digital Garage. Google’s expert told us that 88% of small businesses are not taking advantage of the growth of the web. There are some wonderful food and drink businesses across the English-Welsh borders, with more appearing online and at local markets every month. If you’re looking for success, or simply want to improve the way you do business online then here’s a brief summary: The best websites are colourful, easy to use, have great content, encourage customers to engage with you and make it easy for people to contact you. And here are the 11 top tips in full – we hope you find them useful for your food and drink business: 1. Create a great looking...

CALLUM MCDONALD, head chef at Verzon House near Ledbury, has led the restaurant team to win two AA Rosettes for Culinary Excellence. With his background in Michelin Star restaurants, an ethos to use local produce and a ‘work hard’ mentality, you get the feeling there is more to come from Callum, which is good news for diners because he nearly didn’t become a chef! Taste The Marches caught up with the chef who believes quality Herefordshire produce has much to do with the Verzon’s success. AS HEREFORDSHIRE strengthens its reputation as the UK’s next big food destination, a new breed of fine dining chefs from London are heading this way and are bringing their refined culinary skills acquired in Michelin Star restaurants with them. With an abundance of seasonal produce, heritage beef, quality venison and game on their doorsteps, and an opportunity to build their own kitchen...